SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION 2016 / Preliminary Round Two, Day Three

SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL PIANO 

COMPETITION OF AUSTRALIA 2016

Preliminaries Round 2

Monday 11 July 2016 (12.30 pm)

EDWARD NEEMAN (Australia, 32 years) appears to have a better second round, opening with Mendessohn's Fantasy in F sharp minor (Op.28), sometimes referred to as his Scottish Sonata. There is a good mix of sensitive playing and prestidigitation, as expected from the German, before taking an interlude with Chopin's Mazurka in C sharp minor (Op.63 No.3), crafted with lilting charm. Then its all set for Scriabin's Fifth Sonata, his “Poem of Ecstasy” on the piano. As with the earlier pieces, there is lots of over-pedalling which results in blurring of passages, while concealing  some missed notes.

The major contribution of WANG YINFEI (China, 30 years) is Beethoven's final Sonata No.32 in C minor (Op.111), which received an assured performance, despite missed notes in the first movement. At least he understands Beethoven's passion and concept of “brio”. The Arietta theme and variations in the second movement are beautifully negotiated, and that “jazzy” or “ragtime” variation gets the syncopated attention it deserves. Vine's Toccatissimo sounds over-pedalled in the beginning but gets better later. But will this be enough for him? 

YUI FUSHIKI (Japan, 25 years) has been my preferred pianist of this session, and continued to impress with Haydn's Sonata No.34 in E minor, with some drama and humour to equal degree in the first movement, elegance and clear lines in the slow movement and a chirpy, cheery finale to close.  Completely different is a rare hearing of Bartok's Dance Suite in his original piano transcription. Forget Franz Liszt, as this is a true Hungarian rhapsody with its multiple linked movements played with clear, incisive accents, with requisite colour and texture, through its journey of dissonance and pentatonics to a brilliant end. The opulence of an orchestra is not relived, but she got the spirit right.

LUU QUANG HONG (Vietnam, 25 years) is the only pianist to offer all five of Carl Vine's Bagatelles. These are perfect miniatures, like a suite, which got the varied and nuanced playing they deserved. The final Threnody never fails to touch, with its beguiling melody and sheer simplicity. Following that were the strident octave tritones of Liszt's Dante Sonata, arrestingly announced in a performance of sufficient contrasts. There was a minor stumble, and despite that, got his message across loud and clear. A stronger second round that may have come a little too late.

Monday 11 July 2016 (3.30 pm)

CHEN MOYE (China, 32 years) is another dark horse in this competition. As to the question whether Xie Ming's account of Percy Grainger's Ramble on Love from Der Rosenkavalier could be bettered, Chen provided that answer with an equally impressive performance of warm and generous tones, if not quite approximating the former's sensuousness. Chen however swept the board with Rachmaninov's Second Sonata in Vladimir Horowitz's version that combines both 1913 and 1931 editions. Its a slightly longer work than those offered earlier, and in certain ways better being more fleshed out. Unlike Horowitz's volatile and often jerky live performances, Chen is polished to a fine sheen but still possessing that always nervy edge that is simply thrilling. He will go through.

KONG JIANING (China, 30 years) is likely to join him with his 30 minutes of short pieces. First off were two Scarlatti Sonatas (K.454 and 455), both in G major and played fast with staccatos as the main emphasis. The twins were very well played, yet having a character and personality of their own. Just as impressive was Kong's traversal of 11 Etudes from Op.25 by Chopin. To fit the playing time, the slow C sharp minor Etude (No.7) was omitted. So we got to hear all the fast ones, each delicately yet prodigiously crafted. Special place go to the fearsome G sharp minor (No.6) in triplets, B minor (No.10) for bilateral octaves and A minor (No.11), the blustery “Winter Wind” which was breathtaking to say the least.

FANTEE JONES (USA, 22 years) provided an element of surprise by programming two Chopin Waltzes, the slow and nostalgic F minor (Op.70 No.2) contrasted with the vertiginous F major (Op.34 No.3) which were played much charm. The dance thread continued into Schumann's Carnaval Op.9, with its short Scenes Mignonettes involving characters of commedia delle arte and Schumann's own League of David, a number of which included waltzes. Her playing is of lusty immediacy which worked well with in louder Florestan pieces, but tends to get clattery with the virtuosic ones like and Reconnaissance and Paganini. Curiously she follows Rachmaninov's example by including the enigmatic Sphinxes, a mere sequence of bare notes based on the motto theme. Practically nobody else does that.

TONY LEE (Australia, 24 years) gave a very lucid account of Cesar Franck's Prelude, Choral et Fugue, a dead serious work that tends to get dragged down by its own seriousness and weight. Thankfully, he does none of that and his reading gets more and more engaging as the fugue progressed to its finality. The selection of Arthur Benjamin's Etudes Improvisees and Scherzino, very engaging short pieces, was also excellent. He finished off with Scriabin's Sonata No.4, which began with less allure than expected, but got airborne in the Prestissimo volando for an unerring finish.

The attendances at the competition were very good
despite being in the early rounds.

Unfortunately, my journey with the Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia (where else, Scotland?) ends here with an all too regrettable return “up above” to Singapore. At least I got to hear all 32 pianists, 50 minutes of each in total, some 15,100 minutes of piano playing and more if one considered the young Australian Showcase pianists, a veritable feast of music. My short capsule reviews were of the live performance as I heard them without recourse to viewing the archived videos later on.

The overall standard has been bewilderingly good, a vast improvement from the 2004 and 2008 competitions I attended (and 2012 which I followed on the Internet), when some pianists (including semi-finalists) could barely play themselves out of a paper bag. There will be a big number of excellent pianists who will be prematurely eliminated, and that will be because the cut is larger this time (from 32 to 12 this year, rather than 32 to 20, and 20 to 12 in previous editions). My guess is that several would have been cut just by a matter of a fraction of jury votes. It seems unfair, but that is the reality of competition. Suffice to say, there have been no duds, and the semi-finalists and finalists will all have been excellent and more.

So who gets to the semi-finals? My picks were as follows (in the order of playing):

RASHKOVSKIY

JURINIC

TARASEVICH-NIKOLAEV

LEBHARDT

XIE MING

GUGNIN

POOM PROMMACHART

DANIEL LE

SHEVCHENKO

YUI FUSHIKI

CHEN MOYE

KONG JIANING

Others to consider:

BROBERG

HA GYU TAE

MALMGREN

GOUGH

JEREMY SO

MELNIKOV

Here are the judges' picks for the 12 semi-finalists:

BROBERG

HA GYU TAE

TARASEVICH-NIKOLAEV

BELYAVSKIY

XIE MING

GUGNIN

MELNIKOV

POOM PROMMACHART

SHEVCHENKO

CHEN MOYE

KONG JIANING

TONY LEE 

May the best man (or one woman) win!

SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION 2016 / Preliminary Round Two, Day Two

SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL PIANO 

COMPETITION OF AUSTRALIA 2016

Preliminaries Round 2

Sunday 10 July 2016 (12.30 pm)

After the extraordinary musical antics of MARTIN MALMGREN (Sweden, 29 years) in the first round, he was compelled to offer more conventional programming for the second round. The short and atonal Jubilee No.1 by the Finn Magnus Lindberg (dedicated to Pierre Boulez), as if a leftover from two days ago, made for an atmospheric prelude to Chopin's Berceuse, which was very nicely done. His view to Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit sounded less sensual than Xie's from the night before, and there a a few slips in the elusive Ondine. Another rapt Le Gibet and rapturous Scarbo sealed a a fine performance overall. He will be back for more unusual repertoire in the semi-finals, one hopes. 

AYESHA GOUGH (Australia, 21 years) is another pianist with offbeat repertoire, and it proved again in the second round. The thunderous bass notes of the Verdi-Liszt Miserere (from Il Trovatore) made for a huge impression in this unusual transcription that is a refreshing change from the Rigoletto Paraphrase (not heard in this competition!) Her sensitivity for the quieter bits also served her well in Schubert's Grazer Fantasy, surely the antithesis of his Wanderer Fantasy. In multiple sections, its cantabile passages, landler country-dance sequence and quiet end in C major was more than well served. But is this a great work? Michael Kieran Harvey's Toccata DNA, where fists of fury were applied in its build-up, brought the recital to an exciting close.

PETER DE JAGER (Australia, 26 years) offered even more “extra-competition” repertoire, but I wished he had performed Lyapunov's Lesghinka (from the 12 Transcdendental Etudes) last. It was a truly virtuosic work in the same hallowed tradition as Balakirev's Islamey, excitingly performed, but one fears he had used up his quotient of audience engagement (and perhaps the jury's as well) so early in the day. What followed was Chris Dench's Tiento de medio registro alto, the impression of which was immediately forgotten, and Karol Szymanowski's slow-burning Third Sonata. The sensuous, intoxicating harmonies and insinuating themes were well brought out, while a complex fugue and orgiastic close completed the show. But has all this flown over the heads of his listeners? 

The big-hitting ROMAN LOPATYNSKI (Ukraine, 23 years) opened with Elena Kats-Chernin's Page Turn, a quasi-minimalist number with repeated triads, chords and myriad harmonic changes. The irony of  the title is that its dynamic machinations allow for no page turns, and is probably best memorised. What followed was Brahms' darkly coloured Intermezzo in E flat minor (Op.118 No.6), which unfolded with much pathos and that ultimate Russian showpiece, Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrushka. His was a take no prisoners approach, which now seems loud and almost crude. Without dropping notes (or at least very few among the multitudes), one still fears if he'll make it to the next round.    

Sunday 10 July 2016 (3.30 pm)

One of  the most interesting second round programmes came from ANDREY GUGNIN (Russia, 29 years), with the five works seemingly having little in common. Zaderatsky's Prelude & Fugue in D major and Michael Kieran Harvey's G Spot Tornado (Fugue for Frank [Zappa] No.6) are strange bed-fellows, but the juxtaposition worked. The former's perky little fugue contrasted with the frantic jazzy figurations of the latter. Ditto to the pairing of Sibelius' Impromptu (Op.5 No.5) and Ravel's Un barque sur l'ocean (Miroirs). Both are water pieces, one evoking a glacial stream and the other the might of the ocean. As if to show off virtuoso credentials, he finished with Balakirev's Islamey, if any a positive demonstration of how a recital should end!

The 20^th century journey of JEREMY SO (Australia, 25 years) continued with Roger Smalley's Chopin Variations, which opened with two loud Eroica-like chords and worked its way around the Mazurka in A minor (Op.30 No.4). There was a insane little waltz along that way by seemingly little more to hold the attention. Perhaps I should hear it again sometime. To complete the recital was Rachmaninov's Second Sonata, another impressive reading if possessing less dynamic contrasts as Rashkovskiy's. The mix of emotion and physical power worked well for a brawny and blustery close.

In the recital of ALEXEI MELNIKOV (Russia, 26 years), Peter Sculthorpe's Nocturne No.1 was the perfect calm before the storm. Its soft chords and beautifully evocative pages were the antithesis to Prokofiev's brutalist Sixth Sonata (the first of his War Trilogy), which roared with bare punched out chords and furious pounding. Fortunately, he has enough nous to vary his approach to the quirkily ironic Scherzo and the anguish of the third movement's slow waltz. It was pugilist central in the barnstorming finale, and even if there was a brief memory lapse near the end, it closed with percussive aplomb.

POOM PROMMACHART (Thailand, 26 years) is the dark horse of this competition, a late entry after Lukas Vondracek pulled out upon winning gold at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. His Australian contribution was Carl Vine's Toccatissimo, and got it spot on with its extremes in dynamics. There was never a need for banging here.

Perhaps the singular most complex work of the preliminaries was Nikolai Medtner's 25-minute long Sonata-Ballade Op.27 in three movements. It does not usually carry well in concert unless a special pianist takes it on. And Poom does the honours by clearly delineating its main themes and gorgeously filling in the developmental filigree. His spirit never flagged, even in the droll second movement (to be later rehashed in the famous Sonata Reminiscenza) and that fatal fugue of the third movement. The return of the first movement theme right at the end capped a most memorable outing But what would the Medtner specialists in the jury (Hamish Milne and Nikolai Demidenko) have thought. I think they would have been, like myself, thoroughly enthralled.

Sunday 10 July 2016 (7.30 pm)

PARK WOO-GIL (South Korea, 23 years) opened with Scriabin's Third Sonata, a declamatory entry qualified by rich sonority. There is a manic edge to the first two movements, which bubbled for most part under the surface, but emerging on occasion except in the most poetic of slow movements. In the tempestuous finale and its abrupt end, there was much fire in Park's performance, which continued in the umpteenth reading of Vine's Toccatissimo, fulminating and sparking in his hands all the way to its tumultuous conclusion.

LINDSAY GARRITSON (USA, 29 years) showed the two sides of Franz Liszt, first his Spanish Rhapsody with the requisite barnstorming in the La Folia and Jota Aragonesa, which was as exciting as it could possibly get barring a small lapse near the end. This was balanced by his tender transcription of Schubert's Standchen (from Schwanengesang) which was revealed in all its lyrical beauty. Still on the Hungarian page, to close was Bartok's percussive Sonata, rhythmically charged and often violent.  With a pentatonic feast of a finale, it got the tonic it needed in Garritson's performance, which also came across very well.  

DANIEL LE (Australia, 23 years) gave a very lucid and transparent account of the Vine Toccatissimo, very much in keeping with its title, to challenge its wide range of dynamics to the max. To continue on the same thread, Liszt's Transcendental Etude No.10 in F minor got an equally enthralling performance, but with a few missed notes. He completed his recital with Rachmaninov's Second Sonata, which got a very elegant performance (rather than the usual barnstorming one) for a change. The slow movement was taken leisurely but built up to a head of stream. The finale was thunderous but not note-perfect, but he should still receive more than a fair chance to proceed past the preliminaries.

OXANA SHEVCHENKO (Kazakhstan, 28 years) gave a very nuanced performance of Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasie Op.61, arresting in the opening and sometimes minces the notes to a fine puree such that one has to strain the ears to catch the narrative. Some might call it over-soft but she can raise the temperature when needed. That she did with Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrushka despite hitting a bum note even before beginning. Her very balletic and blow-by blow incident-filled reading made for stark differences with Lopatynski's running roughshod the evening before. I far preferred her playing, naturally.  

SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION 2016 / Preliminary Round Two, Day One

Piers Lane Goes To Town

SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL PIANO 

COMPETITION OF AUSTRALIA 2016

Preliminaries Round Two, Daay One

Saturday 9 July 2016 (12.30 pm)

After hearing all 32 pianists in short 20-minute programmes (a sort of introductory “getting to know me” recitals), this competition has shown that there are no duds among the artists invited. At this early stage, the standard has already been shown to be far higher than previous editions of this competition in more advanced rounds. The second preliminary round features 30-minute recitals, where more substantial works are to be aired, thus deciding who the 12 semi-finalists will be.

LARRY WENG (USA, 28 years) has a better showing this time, with Ravel's Oiseaux Tristes (Miroirs) and its melancholic portrayal of sad birds in the afternoon coalescing with the impressionist hues in the beginning of Carl Vine's Bagatelle No.3. The ragtime dance of Bagatelle No.4 and the ensuing Threnody (Bagatelle No.5, a tender memory of AIDS victims) soon set the stage for a moving reading of Beethoven's Sonata in E major (Op.109). All three movements had much to recommend, including the wonderful final Theme and Variations. There was a small mistake towards the end, and that might prove costly in the final analysis.

ILYA RASHKOVSKIY (Russia, 31 years) gave a true masterclass of sound production in his no holds barred virtuoso showing. Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.12 is the most technically difficult of the 19 rhapsodies, but there was no hint of strain or frailty in Ilya's reading, which was very well nuanced in its slow and fast sections. Equally complete was his view of Rachmaninov's Second Sonata (Op.36, in the revised 1931 version), with drama, poetry and rhetoric all wrapped up in a thrilling encounter. Blessed with a big, generous sound with no harshness, and the fingers to match, Rashkovskiy who makes the most difficult scores appear like child's play, looks like the person to beat.

KENNETH BROBERG (USA, 22 years) has to be the most unlucky pianist, as midway through his splendid performance of Ravel's Jeux d'eau, a handphone carrying live-streaming (which has a lag of some eight seconds) of the recital blared out from within the audience, and another handphone signal going off as further insult to injury. Undeterred, he brought out some wonderfully limpid sounds before the one minute and some that was Carl Vine's Threnody (Bagatelle No.5), which has to be the shortest Australian contribution by any pianist. The balance of time was reserved for Samuel Barber's Sonata Op.26, which had a masterly performance equal to some of the best on record. The final coruscating fugue, described by Horowitz as a “virtuoso's paradise”, was unerring in its delivery.    

ALYOSA JURINIC (Croatia, 27 years) opened with Roy Agnew's Poem No.1 (1922), a short nocturne-like piece with some lovely, perfumed harmonies. His big work was Chopin's Third Sonata in B minor (Op.58), a performance that was both passionate and poetic, as if portending some kind of tragedy, but not technically flawless. There were a few slips in the first and final movements, but these were not calamitous (for the listener) by any account. Despite a strong and commanding finish, would these count against his progressing further?

Saturday 9 July (3.30 pm)

DAVID HUH JAE-WEON (South Korea, 29 years) chose to play Messiaen's L'alouette calandrelle from Catalogue d'Oiseaux, which was always an interesting gambit. One of its shorter movements, the warbling in the high registers, with echoes from the surrounding geography and sunshine, created a haunting impression of birdsong. As competitions like this go, there would be another reading of Chopin's Third Sonata in quick succession. His was a considerably lighter and less doom-laden view than Jurinic's, but also a cleaner one as well. Would that be good enough for this over-familiar and all-too often played warhorse?

RACHEL CHEUNG (Hong Kong, 24 years) continued the good impressions she made in the earlier round with Beethoven's Sonata in E minor (Op.90), its declamatory opening well-contrasted with the Schubertian song-like second movement which confirms her undoubted musicianship. In the Morceau de Concours by the late UK-born Australian Roger Smalley (himself a fine pianist), written for the 2008 competition, she let rip fearlessly as one would expect of an etude-like number. Unfortunately, both movements of Scriabin's Sonata-Fantasie No.2 would be her undoing, with memory lapses that will be detrimental to her making the semi-finals.   

The competition's youngest pianist HA GYU-TAE (South Korea, 19 years) also performed Beethoven's Sonata Op.90. His was a more sharply etched and delineated reading, slightly less poetic than Cheung's, but when it came to the melting lyricism of the finale, he brought it out with equally heartfelt emotion. The longer work was Australian Carl Vine's First Sonata (1990), now the most performed of late 20^th century sonatas (if these things do exist). His heady mix of hard-edged tonality, rhythmic vitality and thrilling piano calisthenics, all winningly brought out by Ha, made for gripping listening and viewing. This youngster has it all in his hands.

ARSENY TARASEVICH-NIKOLAEV (Russia, 23 years) is the other Russian who stands out. In Peter Sculthorpe's short and reflective Evocation, albeit with some blues chords, he was painting an antipodean portrait of Debussy's Girl with the Flaxen Hair which followed quite logically. This innocence then turned mischievous and later malignant as Debussy's Puck's Dance led into Ravel's Scarbo (Gaspard de la nuit). It was a marvellous and dramatic performance, with the pianist's near-epileptic bodily jerks during the climactic chords. The programme was completed with three of Rachmaninov's Moments Musicaux Op.16, alternating fast and slow pieces through Nos.2 to 4. A strong candidate for best recital of the Second Round. 

Saturday 9 July (7.30 pm)

RACHEL NAOMI KUDO (USA, 29 years) presented an all 20^th century programme beginning with Copland's Scherzo Humoristique, better known as The Cat and the Mouse. Lots of scampering runs, leaps and pauses in this cute little diversion, but there was nothing gimmicky in the playing and the first three Etudes by Debussy that followed. These had deftness of touch and plenty of colour. She would be the second pianist of the day to survey Vine's First Sonata, a coruscating reading that had little to separate from Ha's earlier performance. One has to ask how a slender young lady like Kudo could muster the power and heft needed for this work. Corny phrase of the day: All kudos to her. 

If anything can be said about SERGEY BELYAVSKIY (Russia, 22 years), he's a hard-hitter. But first he had to show a more elegant side in Debussy's La plus que lent, a “slower than slow waltz” from the belle epoque. Two more waltzes followed in Rachmaninov's transcriptions of Liebesfreud and Liebeslied, which was getting to be somewhat cloying in his well-turned accounts. Then he unleashed the full monty for Liszt's Reminiscences de Don Juan, a more hair-raising performance than the day before, but with not much room for subtlety. Banging seems to be the catch-word here, not the best thing for one's blood pressure.

DANIEL LEBHARDT (Hungary, 24 years) continues to surprise, not least in Beethoven's Sonata in G major (Op.31 No.1) which comes off with much humour (1^st movement), drawing room grace with the pizzicato simulations (2^nd movement) and bucolic charm (3^rd movement). One of Beethoven's more underrated sonatas (which is overshadowed by its companions, the Tempest and Hunt), one suspects never to hear this piece the same way again. The intimate sound of Ravel's Jeux d'eau, expanding with ever-widening arcs soon filled the hall, and the bells from Rachmaninov's Etude-tableau in E flat major (Op.33 No.7) engulfed it thereafter. Another very satisfying recital that promises much to come.

XIE MING (China, 22 years) probably has the most refined and luscious piano sound of the 32, whether on a Fazioli or the Shigeru Kawai of this session. Is there a more sensuous performance than his reading of Percy Grainger's Ramble on Love from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier? The delicate melody and sumptuous harmonies were only equalled by his velvety touch and svelte pedalling. This could only spell more of the same for Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit, where Ondine occupies a similar swimmy atmosphere. Le Gibet, with its repeated tolling in B flat, came on like a trance, and Xie's Scarbo proved to be an even more manic denizen of the forest than Arseny's. A journey from sacred to profane from this exciting talent.

SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION 2016 / Preliminary Round One, Day Two

SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL PIANO 
COMPETITION OF AUSTRALIA 2016

Preliminaries Round One, Day Two

Friday 8 July 2016 (1.30 pm)

A second day of piano fireworks began with ANDREY GUGNIN (Ukraine, 29 years) performing on the Shigeru Kawai grand. The programming of Beethoven's Fantasy (Op.77), one of the German's strangest works, was an interesting one. Its alternating sequence of downward scales and expositional material remains puzzling, but it was the pastoral-sounding subject that drew some synergy with  Liszt's Faribolo Pastour (Pastoral Whimsy) which followed. Here was one of Liszt's more serene pieces, like a Chopinesque nocturne (not too far away from the Andante spianato, but cast in G minor), which was lovingly caressed. Completing the recital was Liszt's mercurial Feux follets, a means to show that the pianist's miraculous faculties were still intact.

JEREMY SO (Australia, 25 years) presented a very interesting all 20-century programme, with two Ligeti Etudes sandwiching Scriabin's Seventh Sonata, or the “White Mass”. The devastating Desordre (Etude No.1) showed this young man could operate both right and left brains independent of one another at spellbinding speeds without skipping a beat. In the Scriabin, he conducted an unholy communion with the intoxicating sound and orgiastic ambience to match. The last time I heard this played as well was by a certain Marc-Andre Hamelin. With Automne a Varsovie (Autumn in Warsaw) and its free-fall of descending figurations, one was certain that the tinted leaves were positively radioactive.

ALEXEI MELNIKOV (Russia, 26 years) opened with Scriabin's Sonata-Fantasy No.2, its slow and beseeching first movement contrasted with the restlessly galloping second movement. This was a finely nuanced reading with its overwrought emotions clearly displayed. Equally impressive were two contrasted Debussy Preludes, the stentorian chords of La Cathedrale Engloutie (The Engulfed Cathedral) cushioned by fine pedalling and the spewing pyrotechnics display of Feux d'artifice (Fireworks) which blazed across the keyboard without apology. Another promising Russian to watch.

I will admit to personal interest in POOM PROMMACHART (Thailand, 26 years) who had studied in Singapore's Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts before going to London. He is incidentally the only pianist to have previously performed at this competition. His very impressive recital opened with a Rameau Prelude, “Le entretiens des muses”, which was delicately crafted and exquisitely voiced. The main work was Liszt's Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, which comprised a prelude, massive passacaglia body and chorale to end. His sense of the work's architecture, building up like many arches of a bridge ensured that interest was maintained through its 18-minute span, finally delighting in the Bach chorale in a major key, coming like sunshine through a sky of dark clouds.

PARK WOO-GIL (South Korea, 23 years) began with Haydn's Sonata No.51 in D major in two movements, with simplicity of textures in the first leading to full flow of jollity in the second. A delightful performance, with D major then turning a shade darker to the D minor of Mendelssohn's Variations Serieuses. The subject is morose, even depressive but the inventive variations which alternate between minor and major modes never descend into technical exercises, and Park has the ability to musically engage, even in the droll obligatory fugal variation. Clearly a talent to watch. 

Like Melnikov, LINDSAY GARRITSON (USA, 29 years) also offered Scriabin's Sonata-Fantasie No.2 for starters. In the first movement, her version had slightly less contrasts but that was evened out in the second movement, where she reaped a whirlwind. Attacking its measures from the start, it made for a gripping performance. Carl Vine's Toccatissimo completed the programme, and although it was less angular or highly contoured than Rashkovskiy's earlier outing, it was still very convincing. Only a slip at the minor blotted the copybook.

DANIEL LE (Australia, 23 years) is another pianist who has studied in Singapore, specifically at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory. Michael Kieran Harvey's Toccata DNA has much in common with Vine's Toccatissimo, in terms of outward display and accessibility for the audience while being awfully difficult for the pianist. The difference is that it has a quiet and slow introduction leading into a jazzy extremely fast section that hinted of the boogie woogie. Le gave a most persuasive performance that segued quietly into Chopin's Ballade No.4, which unfolded beautifully to its ecstatic climax. A short pause saw some premature applause but totally unfazed, he swallowed the coda with aplomb for a rapturous finish.    

OXANA SHEVCHENKO (Kazakhstan, 28 years) made an excellent impression with a highly varied programme which began with a Rameau Allemande. Her crystalline sound and feather lightness of touch lit up this elegant little piece, which continued into Carl Vine's Bagatelles Nos.2 and 3. The former had a scherzo-like quality, the latter's hazy opening soon gave way to a most sentimental of melodies, however short-lived. Speaking of love and death, her view of Granados Balada from Goyescas took on a more melodramatic edge, and contrasted with Xie Ming's earlier performance, hers had more fire and passion. In short, a more nuanced reading. 

The choice of EDWARD NEEMAN (Australia, 32 years) programming Richard Meale's Coruscations seemed rather unfortunate, simply because despite his obvious ardent advocacy, the atonal work was soon lost to this listener within the opening two minutes. I just could not wait for it to end. Ten minutes seemed like a half-hour. And when he eventually did, and began on Liszt's Polonaise No.2 in E major, I could not wait for it to end either. The blatant barnstorming of this dragged out, empty and bombastic piece did little to endear, and not helped by deliberate rubatos and other posturings.

WANG YINFEI (China, 30 years) felt somewhat ill at ease in Scarlatti's famous slow Sonata in B minor (K.87). When it is taken fractionally too fast, the dreamily intimate sound world is lost. There was a grandiloquent opening to Liszt's Reminiscences de Don Juan, which had sleights of hand and grandstanding aplenty. However a lapse with a short segment being repeated and other sections left out sullied the proceedings. For these kind of party pieces, nothing less than total perfection matters, and Wang did look displeased with himself at the end.

YUI FUSHIKI (Japan, 25 years) came close to a furniture malfunction, when her Steinway stool could not adjust downwards on her command. A technician saved the day by literally sitting on it until it yielded (he was heavier, of course). Anyway, her version of Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasie Op.61 (the third performance of the day) was fuss-free, filled with nobility and an elegant touch. More of that came in Peter Sculthorpe's Harbour Dreaming, a work with thematic links with his Piano Concerto, which has Japanese musical influences.Its repeated notes, clothed in a sensuous mist of sonority from excellent pedalling, provided the most hypnotic moments of the evening.  

LUU QUANG HONG (Vietnam, 25 years) was brave to even attempt Chopin's over-familiar Polonaise in A flat major Op.53 “Heroic”. He began commandingly, but skimped on the sweeping upward scales by tricking the way to the top when he realised he could not manage the run. This happened not just once, but twice. A major mess towards the end put paid to the performance. A similar mishap dogged the second of two Poemes Op.32 by Scriabin, although the first was played close to perfectly. Rachmaninov's Prelude in G sharp minor (Op.32 No.12) and Etude-tableaux (Op.33 No.9) fared well too, but the earlier blemishes would be hard to erase.  

CHEN MOYE (China, 32 years) is one of the competition's oldest pianists, and his stage demeanour  is a modest one. His programme however worked to perfection because he was able to vary tonal colour, beginning with Scarlatti's Sonata in G (K.8), which interestingly alternated between major and minor modes, and two vastly contrasted Lyric Pieces by Grieg. Butterfly had lightness while March of the Dwarves raced through with manically plodding footsteps. The piece de resistance was however Horowitz's rewriting of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.19, which he made convincing by not pummelling through its pages but highlighting its decadent harmonies, extra notes and keeping the audience guessing what happens next.

KONG JIANING (China, 30 years) smartly traversed a 20-minute journey from order to chaos. Bach's Prelude & Fugue in G sharp minor (WTC I) came with smooth and clear lines, which descended into the loud, abrupt and jerky interjections of Graham Hair's Under Aldebaran. This kind of violence soon evaporated to the silence from which the malevolence of Scarbo from Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit emerged. Cue more convulsive and jerky movements, but of a more purposeful kind, where all the drama and volumatic surges contributed to a thrilling ride. A pianist with much to recommend.

The Australian contribution by FANTEE JONES (USA, 22 years) was none other than Percy Grainger's Country Dances, and wasn't everybody waiting for this moment of ultimate levity? This perennial light classic (would this be its first time ever in an international competition) was inserted between Haydn's Sonata No.31 in E major, which shared some good humour in common in its outer movements, and Henri Dutilleux's Choral et Variations from his early Sonata. Her Haydn was crisp and likeable and the Dutilleux very engaging in its virtuosic blend of dissonance and tradition.

TONY LEE (Australia, 24 years) completed the first preliminary round with a warm, gratifying reading of Beethoven's Sonata in E flat major (Op.27 No.1). The rich chords in the first movement had its equal in the 3^rd movement's chorale theme, which had its final say just before the sonata's end. Despite a very small stumble in the 3^rd movement, he recovered to finish very well. Tagged on like two encores were Rachmaninov's Daisies, a melancholic song transcription, and Oriental Sketch, which had nothing to do with the East but a short rumbling train portrait (the Orient Express). Both were played very well.